Study Desk

For the king of Babylon stands at the parting of the way, at the fork in the two roads, to use divination; he shakes the arrows, he consults the teraphim, he inspects the liver.

Into his right hand comes the lot for Jerusalem, to set battering rams, to call out for slaughter, for raising the battle cry, to set battering rams against the gates, to cast up ramps, to build siege towers.

As for you, vile, wicked prince of Israel, you whose day has come, the time of final punishment,

As for you, mortal, prophesy, and say, Thus says the Lord God concerning the Ammonites, and concerning their reproach; say: A sword, a sword! Drawn for slaughter, polished to consume, to flash like lightning.

Offering false visions for you, divining lies for you, they place you over the necks of the vile, wicked ones— those whose day has come, the time of final punishment.

You shall be fuel for the fire, your blood shall enter the earth; you shall be remembered no more, for I the Lord have spoken.

Its prophets have smeared whitewash on their behalf, seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, "Thus says the Lord God ," when the Lord has not spoken.

And I sought for anyone among them who would repair the wall and stand in the breach before me on behalf of the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one.

Oholah was the name of the elder and Oholibah the name of her sister. They became mine, and they bore sons and daughters. As for their names, Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem.

She bestowed her favors upon them, the choicest men of Assyria all of them; and she defiled herself with all the idols of everyone for whom she lusted.

She did not give up her whorings that she had practiced since Egypt; for in her youth men had lain with her and fondled her virgin bosom and poured out their lust upon her.

Therefore I delivered her into the hands of her lovers, into the hands of the Assyrians, for whom she lusted.

Thus you longed for the lewdness of your youth, when the Egyptians fondled your bosom and caressed your young breasts.

So I will put an end to your lewdness and your whoring brought from the land of Egypt; you shall not long for them, or remember Egypt any more.

For thus says the Lord God : I will deliver you into the hands of those whom you hate, into the hands of those from whom you turned in disgust;

you shall drink it and drain it out, and gnaw its sherds, and tear out your breasts; for I have spoken, says the Lord God .

For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands; with their idols they have committed adultery; and they have even offered up to them for food the children whom they had borne to me.

For when they had slaughtered their children for their idols, on the same day they came into my sanctuary to profane it. This is what they did in my house.

They even sent for men to come from far away, to whom a messenger was sent, and they came. For them you bathed yourself, painted your eyes, and decked yourself with ornaments;

For they have gone in to her, as one goes in to a whore. Thus they went in to Oholah and to Oholibah, wanton women.